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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet IL I. J. SPRAG-UE & J. F. S. BRANTH. CONDUCTOR SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No. 445,515. Patented an. 27, 1891.

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NTH.v V CONDUCTOR SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAIS. .No. 445,515. Patented Jan. 2'7, 18 91.

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ATENT FICE' FRANK J. SPRAGUE AND JOHAN F. S. BRANTH, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

CONDUCTOR-SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,515, dated January 27, 1891.

Application filed September 27,1888. Serial No. 286,537. (No model.) 7

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRANK J. SPRAGUE, a citizen of the United States, and JOHAN F. S. BRANTH, a subject of the King of Sweden, both residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Conductor-Switches for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to overhead lines for electric railways with which a traveling contact-wheel makes an underneath contact for the purpose of conveying current to the mo-.

tors which propel the cars upon the line.

More especially our invention relates to frogs or switch-plates for crossing or branching lines, our object being to provide a simple and efiicient construction for such plates, whereby the contact-wheel will not be impeded in its travel upon the conductor and will be guided in the proper direction so as to pass from one line to another when desired.

Our invention consists in certain improvements on the construction shown and described in the application of the said Frank J. Sprague of even date herewith, and its main feature is the use of a movable deflecting-rib for guiding the trolley along the plate. Patent No. 397,87 5 was issued upon the said application February 12, 1889.

Our invention is illustrated in the accom-- panying drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of a turnout plate embodying our invention, turned upside down; Fig. 2, a top view of the same,

Fig. 3, an end view of the same. Figs. 4 and 5 are bottom views of the plate, showing the different positions of the movable deflecting-rib.

The turn-out plate consists of a flat plate A, tapering from one end to the other and having a downward rib B on each side. At the narrow end of the plate is secured a downward-depressing rib O, projecting from the end of the plate and curved at its lower edge from one end to the other. At the wide end of the plate two such depressing-ribs D D are provided. Midway between the ribs D D is secured the movable deflecting-rib E. As shown, it is a tongue of spring metal secured in the apex of the \l-shaped rib F and extending nearly to the narrow end of the plate. The tension of the spring is such as to hold it normally against one side of the plate. The main wire G is carried along the upper edge of the rib C and into a groove on the top of the plate, and the branch wires H extend from it also in grooves to the other end of the plate, where they extend along the upper edges of the ribs D D and pass off over the tracks of the turnout or of the main and branch lines, as the case may be.

Fig. 4 illustrates the course of the trolley entering the plate from the main line. It will be seen that the rib B prevents the trolley from moving to the left and guides it directly upon the depressing-rib D, and so onto the wire H. Fig. 5 shows the trolley coming in the other direction, passing from the wire H onto the turn-out plate, and in this case the trolley enters between the side rib B and the movable rib E and pushes the latter aside so as to open a passage for it, being guided by the said rib E, so that it travels directly to the depressing-rib C, and so on to the main line.

It will be seen that the depressing-ribs will force the trolley down as it passes upon the plate, so that the flanges of the trolley will pass easily upon the plate and will not be obstructed by the edge of the plate. The trolleys are of course supported on springs to permit this downward movement, as will be Well understood; and in addition to their function of depressing the trolley said ribs also act to guide or center the trolley as it enters upon or leaves the plate.

\Vhat we claim is 1. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended conducting-wire which receives an upward pressure from traveling grooved contactwheels, a branch wire, and a switch-plate at the junction for receiving the upward thrust of the contact-wheels, said switch-plate having a movable deflecting-rib for guiding the contact-wheels across its surface, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended conducting-wire which receives an upward pressure from traveling grooved contact-wheels, a branch wire, and a switcl1plate at the junction for receiving the upward thrust of the contact-wheels, said switch-plate having side ribs and a movable central rib for guiding the contact-wheels across its surface, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric railway, the combination of branching conductors on which a contact device travels, and a switch-plate at the j unction of said conductors, across Whose surface said "contact device moves, said switch-plate having depressing-ribs at its extremities and a movable deflecting-rib, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electric railway, the combination of branching conductors on Which a contact device travels, and a switch-plate at the junction of said conductors, across Whose surface the contact device moves, said plate having central ribs-at its extremities and a movable deflecting-rib, substantially as set forth.

5. In an electric railway, the combination of branching conductors on which a contact device travels, and a tapering switch-plate at the junction of said conductors, across whose surface the contact device moves, said plate having side ribs, depressing-ribs at its extremities, and a movable deflecting-rib, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 22d day of September, 1888.

FRANK J. SPRAGUE. JOHAN F. S. BRANTII.

Witnesses:

J. A. HURDLE, A. W. KIDDLE. 

